These not-too-sweet Korean honey cookies, fried and then soaked in gingery syrup, are uniquely soft and chewy on the outside and flaky on the inside. Called yakgwa (yak meaning “medicine” and gwa meaning “confection”), these treats originally from the Goryeo dynasty (918-1392) are seeing a resurgence in popularity from Seoul to the world, thanks to social media. Traditionally served on Korean festival days like Chuseok and Seollal, birthdays and ancestral rites like jesa, the anniversary of a loved one’s passing, yakgwa are also an encapsulation of Korea’s dessert history. At a time when sugar was not a main sweetener, sweetness was achieved with ingredients like rice syrup and honey, paired with ginger and cinnamon. Enjoy these on their own with a cup of tea or try them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, which lends balance to the sticky sweetness. For a vegan option, the honey can be swapped with maple syrup for incredible results.

Yakgwa (Honey Cookies)

Ingredients:

For the cookies:
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup
• 5 tablespoons soju (see Tip), plus more if needed
• About 1 quart canola or vegetable oil, for frying
• Crystallized ginger, sesame seeds or pine nuts, for garnish (optional)

For the syrup:
• 1/2 cup jocheong (Korean brown rice syrup;
see Tips)
• 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
• 1 (2-inch) piece fresh (unpeeled) ginger, sliced

Directions:
Make the cookie dough: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, ground ginger, cinnamon, 1 teaspoon salt and 3 grinds pepper. Add the sesame oil and whisk to distribute. Switching to a spoon, stir in the honey and soju until there’s no more loose flour and the mixture starts to form a craggy dough. If needed, you can add more soju, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the dough is hydrated. Press the dough together with your hands, cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator to rest for at least 1 hour and up to 2, during which it will continue to hydrate and cohere even more.

Meanwhile, make the syrup: In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the brown rice syrup, honey, ginger and 2 tablespoons water to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and set aside, covered, to infuse and cool slightly.

Roll out the cookies: Using a rolling pin or empty wine bottle, roll the dough into a rectangle that is roughly 1/4-inch-thick, then fold it in half, pressing the sides to create even edges and roll it out again. Fold and roll the dough out like this 4 more times.

Use a round, 2-inch cookie cutter (or the lip of a champagne flute) to cut out rounds. You will need to roll out the scraps a few more times to use up all of the dough, resulting in about 20 cookies. Using a fork, dock the top of each cookie twice, piercing all the way through.

Fry the cookies: Set a wire rack on a sheet pan. In a wide pot, heat about 1 inch of oil to 225 degrees over medium, then reduce the heat to low. Working in batches, add the cookies in a single layer and fry until deeply golden brown and slightly puffed, 25 to 30 minutes per batch. (Flip cookies occasionally for even browning and adjust the heat as needed so the oil bubbles gently and stays 225 degrees.) Transfer the cookies to the rack and cool fully, at least 30 minutes.

Soak the cookies: Remove the ginger from the syrup. Transfer the cookies to a wide resealable container, drizzle evenly with the syrup and toss to coat. Cover tightly and soak at room temperature overnight (or up to 24 hours), flipping occasionally to evenly soak.

Before serving, remove the cookies from the syrup, then garnish with crystallized ginger, sesame seeds or pine nuts, if desired. In a tightly sealed container, fresh yakgwa keep for up to 3 days at room temperature.

Tip:
Soju, Korea’s national beverage, is a clear and distilled grain alcohol that can be found in most liquor stores. It tends to come in 375-milliliter glass bottles with screw tops, making it ideal to keep on hand for cooking (or drinking). If you can’t find soju, vodka and sake work in a pinch.

Some yakgwa recipes call for replacing the not-too-sweet brown rice syrup, jocheong, with all honey or corn syrup, but those results might lean too sweet. A bottle of jocheong is not just a nuanced sweetener but also makes yakgwa glisten. It’s a valuable ingredient that can be found online and in Korean grocery stores.

Total time: 27 hours, creates 20 (2-inch) cookies.

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